by David Cirone

In all my years as a fan of Japanese music, I've yet to see anyone walk out of a Japanese live show disappointed. - it just doesn't happen.

The word I hear one hundred times more than any other is "Wow!"

Many Japanese musicians are surprised by the number of fans who come to their live shows in America. "Do people in America really want to hear Japanese music?"

They want it now more than ever.

Some fans come to Japanese music from their exposure to Japanese anime. In America, even the English-dubbed anime series will still keep the original Japanese-language theme songs. Dedicated anime fans are just as familiar with the songs of their favorite series as they are with the names of the lead characters.

Some fans come to a live show because of their love of the Japanese language or culture. They've studied Japan (formally or as a hobby) and the opportunity to see artists who represent the true modern-day spirit of Japan is an irreplaceable opportunity.

And for others, it's not the culture or entertainment connections - it's simply the music that matters.

Japanese artists' theatricality and complex musical styles make them the most exciting genre of contemporary music. For our American culture that's constantly hungry to discover new bands and fill our iPods with the latest music, the Japanese music scene is an endless supply of originality.

Most audience members at a Japanese live show here in the USA don't understand the lyrics - and they don't need to.

Whether you know the language or not, if a Japanese band wants you to bang your head and jump around, you'll know it. If a Japanese singer stands alone on stage and sings an acoustic love song, you'll feel that emotion too.

Their colorful, crazy band names (ex: "ketchup mania"), their unstoppable onstage energy, and their interaction with the audience during a show (sometimes even jumping into the crowd), Japanese artists are determined to push past the formality of language and make a connection through music and creativity.

So with or without the words, the transfer of emotion from performer to audience remains 100% pure. And thanks to the internet, the missing element of language is no longer a barrier.

The internet generation of music fans is coming of age, a generation that is not afraid of a foreign language or a foreign culture in their popular entertainment. Mainstream music tours are inviting Japanese artists to participate with increased frequency, and the word-of-mouth is spreading.

Excitement for Japanese music isn't just limited to America. I constantly encounter fans from different countries across the world - Mexico, Brazil, Germany, United Kingdom, even Russia.

Because of internet sales and worldwide networks like MySpace, YouTube, and LiveJournal, cross-cultural information about new Japanese artists is creating an international fan base.

The challenge for those of us who care about connecting Japanese artists with new and existing fans is keeping that connection after that initial "wow" experience.

The popularity of Japanese music is growing and - more importantly - spreading into multiple avenues of entertainment and pop culture.

The audience for Japanese music is hungry and excited. If we can meet the challenge to constantly feed them what they crave, the audience will grow and strengthen and we'll solidify a foundation for future decades of artists to reach fans and communicate with the world through music.

DAVID CIRONE is the Marketing and Events Director for JapanFiles.com.
JapanFiles.com was named one of the "Top Ten Websites for Japanese Music" and continues its mission to support awareness of up-and-coming Japanese artists through digital music sales, event promotion, copyright enforcement, and media outreach.